IMO the three best choices are FoF, Grunts, and Battle Screech. Battle Screech is definitely the most powerful, as it will consistently make 4 1/1 flyers on turn 4, which is game winning. But it also heavily commits you to white. I'll take the power and the commitment that goes with it, but I wouldn't blame someone for staying flexible and taking one of the other two. (It looks like people are overrating FoF a bit. While its strong, it isn't nearly as strong in this kind of draft as it is/was in your constructed/cube decks.)
IMO the three best choices are FoF, Grunts, and Battle Screech. Battle Screech is definitely the most powerful, as it will consistently make 4 1/1 flyers on turn 4, which is game winning. But it also heavily commits you to white. I'll take the power and the commitment that goes with it, but I wouldn't blame someone for staying flexible and taking one of the other two. (It looks like people are overrating FoF a bit. While its strong, it isn't nearly as strong in this kind of draft as it is/was in your constructed/cube decks.)
true FOF in a draft is like draw your bomb and a land or draw 4 random cards that are not usefull this time( the key factor is that we look for specific answers and while it may give to you some deep insight for that one card , you are still milling your self 4 cards and usually those cards might be necessary late )
and as i know people taking FOF will pick another when they find one or even brainstorm and any draw spell when they find one i m really confidant that choosing another card (ABOMB) and going for it is the right choice here.
Bombs wins the game , answers and removal just dalay your op victory if you don't have enoght creatures and bombs. (At least in limited)
and i think the key for vintage masters is picking the goods commons and creatures with good ratio soo on a second thoght i think
are all good picks on they own ( while some requiring commitment to a theme or colors)( and some requiring a hight consentration of faties (and soo ramp))
i think the cards you will probably see coming back will be :
I went with FoF but agree with the previous two posts that it is not as good in limited. I still think it is the best option here though. There are some other interesting options for sure... but overall this is a rough pack for a p1p1 in VMA.
This is where I wholly disagree. You're picking FoF P1P1. You've the entire draft to craft around it. Plus, it's good on its own.
You are early going in a color without big faties at common just to add a good draw spell?
FoF is good but when your deck consist of alot 1 off.
This way FoF is just a Big dig spell that let you pick some usefull card ( while all the rest is going to your grave).
Realistic you will find others FoF being passed along the Draft soo it would be better focusing on your's bombs early...
You will need to splash for another color if you go U ( I think) picking good attackers early is good in VMA draft but i didn't drafted it yet soo i cannot say any futter (realy)
There's no other cards that are even close to a first pick. Nature's Lore still ties you to green, unless (lucky you) someone passes Bayou, Taiga, Tropical Island, Savannah.
I'm not sure what's the doubt over FoF. Card draw is card draw. It provides card selection. It allows for mistakes to be made. Putting card in your graveyard is not a bad thing at all. I don't know what's the feel-bad about it, unlike Deranged Assistant.
There's no other cards that are even close to a first pick. Nature's Lore still ties you to green, unless (lucky you) someone passes Bayou, Taiga, Tropical Island, Savannah.
I'm not sure what's the doubt over FoF. Card draw is card draw. It provides card selection. It allows for mistakes to be made. Putting card in your graveyard is not a bad thing at all. I don't know what's the feel-bad about it, unlike Deranged Assistant.
It isn't that FoF is bad, it is that there is something more powerful (Battle Screech) there too. Maybe you never played with/against it? Did you play with/against Lingering Souls? Long story short, the ability to pump out that much flying power, spread out like that, on turn 4 is extremely strong. It is usually a source of both tempo AND card advantage even on its own, and combined with any number of other cards it can just win a game.
FoF is strong, no doubt, just not as outright powerful in this context where:
1. The variance in your card quality is much higher, making it less likely that your opponent will end up between a rock and a hard place while splitting.
2. The instant speed is less relevant than in constructed, where the ability to hold up counter-mana and threaten the FoF was a huge part of its power.
3. Filling your graveyard is less likely to be relevant than in constructed, where it is easier to build with that aspect of it in mind.
Put it altogether and you still have a quality card, a fine first pick if you want to stay flexible, just not the windmill slam you seem to think it is.
I don't recall Battle Screech being nowhere as dominating in limited as Lingering Souls was, though. Battle Screech seems playable only heavy white decks (at least 5 white creatures, imo). LS is splashable, whereas BS is not. The flashback cost of BS is virtually impossible if the card somehow ends up in your graveyard without you casting it.
Oh, and FoF was awesome in limited in its time too
FoF is definitely the first pick unless you just feel like forcing white. Battle Screech is probably more powerful, but it commits you far more. People are acting like every time you FoF, you'll reveal a bomb and 4 do-nothings. That's completely misleading. What if you reveal a bomb and a removal spell or two bombs or five decently relevant spells/lands (assuming you're not super late game and flooded)? You make out like a bandit no matter how they stack it. You guys are also acting like leaving up mana won't be as relevant. Didn't the article say that the RU archetype is going to be counterburn? There are a whole slew of counters, instant draw spells and instant bounce in this format.
PS: Battle Screech is not Lingering Souls. It's really not even that close. Same effect, sure, but not at all the same likelihood of getting four tokens without having to waste an attack step.
@ Golden: The last 2 posters summed it up quite nicely for me. Lingering Souls is a house. Battle Screech, while decent in its day, requires a heavy white commitment which we may not be clear about. FoF is the winner here. I could even splash it. I can't with Battle Screech. However, I will take Souls over FoF.
Look at the pack itself. There's cycling and flashback, which makes FoF the more compelling pick.
lol @ u guys complaining about the commitment to white...yet lauding Souls, which virtually commits you to some amount of W and B. Yes, if you take Battle Screech you will need to draft some white creatures to enable it. How often do you draft white and NOT end up with a decent number of white creatures?
And as someone who played very competitively when Screech was in limited the first time around I can tell you that is was a lot more than "decent".
The developers (who are the only people to have actual experience playing with this set thus far) have stated than VMA can feel roughly similar to cube in the end powerlevel of decks, and FOF is a slam dunk in cube, so it's clearly way above the grunts and drake here.
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I primarily play limited, so most of my spoiler season comments view cards through that lens.
The developers (who are the only people to have actual experience playing with this set thus far) have stated than VMA can feel roughly similar to cube in the end powerlevel of decks, and FOF is a slam dunk in cube, so it's clearly way above the grunts and drake here.
Unless they are talking pauper cube I'm not seeing it based on these packs. The broken stuff you get pick after pick of in a typical cube is almost all at least rare in this set, with a lot of it being mythic/special.
lol @ u guys complaining about the commitment to white...yet lauding Souls, which virtually commits you to some amount of W and B. Yes, if you take Battle Screech you will need to draft some white creatures to enable it. How often do you draft white and NOT end up with a decent number of white creatures?
And as someone who played very competitively when Screech was in limited the first time around I can tell you that is was a lot more than "decent".
Um, what? We know it commits you to some white (although it hardly commits you to black - both cards are playable, if unexciting, without being able to flashback), but that's hardly the same as the level of commitment to white creatures that Battle Screech requires. The most important part is that, if you are white/black or found your splash, you can ALWAYS cast the flashback. Battle Screech you may never be able to. Battle Screech just plain isn't that close to Lingering Souls, no matter how much you insist it is. Plus, remember that DII had all sorts of interactions that made Lingering Souls better there than Battle Screech is here. When you discard it to a mill effect and just get free card advantage, when you have a spirit lord, when you need something that's easy to sacrifice or chump with to trigger Morbid, etc.
lol @ u guys complaining about the commitment to white...yet lauding Souls, which virtually commits you to some amount of W and B. Yes, if you take Battle Screech you will need to draft some white creatures to enable it. How often do you draft white and NOT end up with a decent number of white creatures?
And as someone who played very competitively when Screech was in limited the first time around I can tell you that is was a lot more than "decent".
Um, what? We know it commits you to some white (although it hardly commits you to black - both cards are playable, if unexciting, without being able to flashback), but that's hardly the same as the level of commitment to white creatures that Battle Screech requires. The most important part is that, if you are white/black or found your splash, you can ALWAYS cast the flashback. Battle Screech you may never be able to. Battle Screech just plain isn't that close to Lingering Souls, no matter how much you insist it is. Plus, remember that DII had all sorts of interactions that made Lingering Souls better there than Battle Screech is here. When you discard it to a mill effect and just get free card advantage, when you have a spirit lord, when you need something that's easy to sacrifice or chump with to trigger Morbid, etc.
You need one white creature in play in order to get max value out of Screech.
You need one black mana in order to get max value out of Souls.
Pretty obvious which of those is more restrictive.
So it is tougher to generate one creature IN COLOR, than a mana of an off color?
Take the Souls and go anything but BW and you have to splash a 3rd color to get max value out of it. Period. 3 color deck.
Take the Screech and you have to play white. That's it. (recall you only need 1 white dude in play when you cast this in order to flash it back immediately, so it isn't even like you have to make an especially white-heavy deck for it to work)
Few problems with your horrendous logic: first, there are countless board states in the early game where you won't have any creature, let alone a creature of one specific color. Second, they can certainly just remove your creature in response to shut it off - they're not likely to be destroying my black source. Third, why assume it's a splash? The entire point is that you can play it without any effort at all in BW, splash it in a Wx deck, splash it in a Bx deck or just use it as pure discarded value in a Bx deck. Battle Screech isn't a splashable card and you want to be heavily enough in white to have a very, very good shot at being able to flash it back. Third, you certainly don't always want to unload everything in your hand as fast as possible, even in limited. Fourth, even if you have another white creature and they don't remove it, you have to forego tapping the creature for any other purpose that turn. Not always relevant, but certainly relevant sometimes.
We can go back and forth all day, but everyone with any limited experience can see that Lingering Souls in DII was a significantly more powerful card than Battle Screech is here.
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Practice for Khans of Tarkir Limited:
Draft: (#1) (#2) (#3) (#4) (#5)
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i put all my money on agro when it is a 4/3 flying for 3...
#EOTFOFIW
UR Melek, Izzet ParagonUR, B Shirei, Shizo's CaretakerB, R Jaya Ballard, Task MageR,RW Tajic, Blade of the LegionRW, UB Lazav, Dimir MastermindUB, UB Circu, Dimir LobotomistUB, RWU Zedruu the GreatheartedRWU, GUBThe MimeoplasmGUB, UGExperiment Kraj UG, WDarien, King of KjeldorW, BMarrow-GnawerB, WBGKarador, Ghost ChieftainWBG, UTeferi, Temporal ArchmageU, GWUDerevi, Empyrial TacticianGWU, RDaretti, Scrap SavantR, UTalrand, Sky SummonerU, GEzuri, Renegade LeaderG, WUBRGReaper KingWUBRG, RGXenagos, God of RevelsRG, CKozilek, Butcher of TruthC, WUBRGGeneral TazriWUBRG, GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
true FOF in a draft is like draw your bomb and a land or draw 4 random cards that are not usefull this time( the key factor is that we look for specific answers and while it may give to you some deep insight for that one card , you are still milling your self 4 cards and usually those cards might be necessary late )
and as i know people taking FOF will pick another when they find one or even brainstorm and any draw spell when they find one i m really confidant that choosing another card (ABOMB) and going for it is the right choice here.
Bombs wins the game , answers and removal just dalay your op victory if you don't have enoght creatures and bombs. (At least in limited)
and i think the key for vintage masters is picking the goods commons and creatures with good ratio soo on a second thoght i think
are all good picks on they own ( while some requiring commitment to a theme or colors)( and some requiring a hight consentration of faties (and soo ramp))
i think the cards you will probably see coming back will be :
for (half) sure , soo going green and or with flying dudes may be a good choice
UR Melek, Izzet ParagonUR, B Shirei, Shizo's CaretakerB, R Jaya Ballard, Task MageR,RW Tajic, Blade of the LegionRW, UB Lazav, Dimir MastermindUB, UB Circu, Dimir LobotomistUB, RWU Zedruu the GreatheartedRWU, GUBThe MimeoplasmGUB, UGExperiment Kraj UG, WDarien, King of KjeldorW, BMarrow-GnawerB, WBGKarador, Ghost ChieftainWBG, UTeferi, Temporal ArchmageU, GWUDerevi, Empyrial TacticianGWU, RDaretti, Scrap SavantR, UTalrand, Sky SummonerU, GEzuri, Renegade LeaderG, WUBRGReaper KingWUBRG, RGXenagos, God of RevelsRG, CKozilek, Butcher of TruthC, WUBRGGeneral TazriWUBRG, GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
But what are you better off crafting around, it or something that pumps out 4 flyers on turn 4?
You are early going in a color without big faties at common just to add a good draw spell?
FoF is good but when your deck consist of alot 1 off.
This way FoF is just a Big dig spell that let you pick some usefull card ( while all the rest is going to your grave).
Realistic you will find others FoF being passed along the Draft soo it would be better focusing on your's bombs early...
Uncommon
Common:
You will need to splash for another color if you go U ( I think) picking good attackers early is good in VMA draft but i didn't drafted it yet soo i cannot say any futter (realy)
I'm not sure what's the doubt over FoF. Card draw is card draw. It provides card selection. It allows for mistakes to be made. Putting card in your graveyard is not a bad thing at all. I don't know what's the feel-bad about it, unlike Deranged Assistant.
UR Melek, Izzet ParagonUR, B Shirei, Shizo's CaretakerB, R Jaya Ballard, Task MageR,RW Tajic, Blade of the LegionRW, UB Lazav, Dimir MastermindUB, UB Circu, Dimir LobotomistUB, RWU Zedruu the GreatheartedRWU, GUBThe MimeoplasmGUB, UGExperiment Kraj UG, WDarien, King of KjeldorW, BMarrow-GnawerB, WBGKarador, Ghost ChieftainWBG, UTeferi, Temporal ArchmageU, GWUDerevi, Empyrial TacticianGWU, RDaretti, Scrap SavantR, UTalrand, Sky SummonerU, GEzuri, Renegade LeaderG, WUBRGReaper KingWUBRG, RGXenagos, God of RevelsRG, CKozilek, Butcher of TruthC, WUBRGGeneral TazriWUBRG, GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
It isn't that FoF is bad, it is that there is something more powerful (Battle Screech) there too. Maybe you never played with/against it? Did you play with/against Lingering Souls? Long story short, the ability to pump out that much flying power, spread out like that, on turn 4 is extremely strong. It is usually a source of both tempo AND card advantage even on its own, and combined with any number of other cards it can just win a game.
FoF is strong, no doubt, just not as outright powerful in this context where:
1. The variance in your card quality is much higher, making it less likely that your opponent will end up between a rock and a hard place while splitting.
2. The instant speed is less relevant than in constructed, where the ability to hold up counter-mana and threaten the FoF was a huge part of its power.
3. Filling your graveyard is less likely to be relevant than in constructed, where it is easier to build with that aspect of it in mind.
Put it altogether and you still have a quality card, a fine first pick if you want to stay flexible, just not the windmill slam you seem to think it is.
Oh, and FoF was awesome in limited in its time too
PS: Battle Screech is not Lingering Souls. It's really not even that close. Same effect, sure, but not at all the same likelihood of getting four tokens without having to waste an attack step.
Look at the pack itself. There's cycling and flashback, which makes FoF the more compelling pick.
UR Melek, Izzet ParagonUR, B Shirei, Shizo's CaretakerB, R Jaya Ballard, Task MageR,RW Tajic, Blade of the LegionRW, UB Lazav, Dimir MastermindUB, UB Circu, Dimir LobotomistUB, RWU Zedruu the GreatheartedRWU, GUBThe MimeoplasmGUB, UGExperiment Kraj UG, WDarien, King of KjeldorW, BMarrow-GnawerB, WBGKarador, Ghost ChieftainWBG, UTeferi, Temporal ArchmageU, GWUDerevi, Empyrial TacticianGWU, RDaretti, Scrap SavantR, UTalrand, Sky SummonerU, GEzuri, Renegade LeaderG, WUBRGReaper KingWUBRG, RGXenagos, God of RevelsRG, CKozilek, Butcher of TruthC, WUBRGGeneral TazriWUBRG, GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
And as someone who played very competitively when Screech was in limited the first time around I can tell you that is was a lot more than "decent".
Interested in Custom Card Creation.
My Cube:Cardinal Custom Cube
A custom version of a third modern masters: MM2019
(filter->rarity to see in set rarity).
Unless they are talking pauper cube I'm not seeing it based on these packs. The broken stuff you get pick after pick of in a typical cube is almost all at least rare in this set, with a lot of it being mythic/special.
Um, what? We know it commits you to some white (although it hardly commits you to black - both cards are playable, if unexciting, without being able to flashback), but that's hardly the same as the level of commitment to white creatures that Battle Screech requires. The most important part is that, if you are white/black or found your splash, you can ALWAYS cast the flashback. Battle Screech you may never be able to. Battle Screech just plain isn't that close to Lingering Souls, no matter how much you insist it is. Plus, remember that DII had all sorts of interactions that made Lingering Souls better there than Battle Screech is here. When you discard it to a mill effect and just get free card advantage, when you have a spirit lord, when you need something that's easy to sacrifice or chump with to trigger Morbid, etc.
You need one white creature in play in order to get max value out of Screech.
You need one black mana in order to get max value out of Souls.
Pretty obvious which of those is more restrictive.
So it is tougher to generate one creature IN COLOR, than a mana of an off color?
Take the Souls and go anything but BW and you have to splash a 3rd color to get max value out of it. Period. 3 color deck.
Take the Screech and you have to play white. That's it. (recall you only need 1 white dude in play when you cast this in order to flash it back immediately, so it isn't even like you have to make an especially white-heavy deck for it to work)
We can go back and forth all day, but everyone with any limited experience can see that Lingering Souls in DII was a significantly more powerful card than Battle Screech is here.